The most frightening, anxiety-choked experiences of my adolescence didn’t involve standardized testing, battling acne or finding a place to sit in the lunchroom.It involved reading aloud.A lot of courageous Orange County schoolchildren are doing exactly that this week, participating in Read Across America events tim

Henry T. Segerstrom was laid to rest Sunday. He died Feb. 20 at the age of 91.
Segerstrom was the founder and major benefactor of Segerstrom Center for the Arts, and he created South Coast Plaza, turning it into a top-grossing, international shopping destination.

WASHINGTON - “You are the man, Mr. Jabbar,”s omebody shouts down what is normally a quiet, long hallway in the Department of Justice.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who is, in fact, the man, having scored more points than anyone in National Basketball Association history, even Michael, Kobe and LeBron, nods but doesn&rsqu

SAN CLEMENTE – We often celebrate a baby’s first steps but think little about preserving the ones that could be our last.
Walking, as Troyce Thome sees it, is more than the basic left, right, left or the mechanical heel strike, toe touch and weight shift.
“Independent movement is independent living,” said

Local authorities don’t anticipate security risks or disruptions in travel at area airports or the Los Angeles area port complex if there is a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. Transportation Security Administration workers who handle airport screening at John Wayne Airport and Los Angeles International Airpor

It caught me by surprise when I found myself knowing the lyrics and singing along to a pop song by – I’m still aghast – Taylor Swift.Somehow, the 25-year-old country-turned-pop singer had secretly infiltrated my musical consciousness despite my being 42 and not very pop.Also, unbeknownst to me, T. Swizzl

ANAHEIM – Nilo Lipiz spills the contents of an aging Vans shoe box onto the kitchen counter.There are black-and-white photos of his childhood. A bow tie that his grandmother made for him out of a ribbon from an old skirt. An ID card from Buena Park High. A tiny Virgin of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre.“I have

He’s a surfer with an East L.A. accent, a mustachioed veteran who served in Vietnam and a 66-year-old grandfather of five.But at his core Zach Martinez is a patriot.Starting four years ago on Memorial Day weekend, Martinez devoted himself to maintaining an American flag near the dog beach at Goldenwest Street and Pa

SANTA ANA – Theirs is no ordinary office romance, since we rarely think about dating in a death place.“Yeah, it’s a little bit weird,” admitted Tiffany Gallarzo, 45, who met her husband, Omar, 42, at work.At a funeral home and cemetery; at Fairhaven Memorial Park & Mortuary in Santa Ana.

COSTA MESA – Retired Adm. Michael Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, offered a word of caution for anyone expecting top-down solutions to the issues explored in a newly released report on military veterans in Orange County.“Don’t.”Mullen, who spoke Thursday during a presentation

Military veterans in Orange County – especially those who served after the 9/11 terror attacks – face significant challenges transitioning to civilian life.Veterans here also need more targeted support as they struggle with employment, housing and physical and mental health issues, according to the newly released “T

Late last year, Navy Capt. Robert E. Thomas couldn’t make the very last meeting of the Orange County chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.But the three heroes who made that final stand – Howard Bender, John Hughes and Neal Jones – understood.“Father Time hasn’t been our friend,&r

LONG BEACH – The setup crew scrambled around two floors of the Loft on Pine on Saturday afternoon, placing candles on tabletops, lining up glasses for the champagne and whiskey tasting bars and prepping for a wedding that wasn’t supposed to look like a traditional pomp-filled, gaudy Valentine’s Day affair.Somebody a

Love happens.Not just on Valentine’s Day, but every day. It begins, builds, endures.Graham Austin will celebrate today by giving flowers and chocolates to Margaret, his wife of 70 years. The Laguna Hills couple and former high school sweethearts still hold hands.They still have eyes for each other. They